Wolf Who Cried Boy
by Agent Moonlight
Summary: Father wants Yukine as his shinki, but if he can't have him as that, he wouldn't mind Yukine being his ayakashi. However, when Father's attempt to turn Yukine into his servant goes wrong, Yukine is left deformed and on the run. Yato will do everything he can to save his kid, but Yukine can't control himself and no one is safe near him, not even his friends, and especially not Yato.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I hope nobody was waiting too long for another Noragami fic from me, but if so please enjoy the long-awaited story below :)**

* * *

Yukine reflected that today had been rather peaceful as he started his trek down the familiar path to Kofuku's place. Sure, the day had begun a little oddly since Yato had _not _been annoying or obnoxious in the least this morning. Instead the god had been fairly subdued, but his chipper morning greeting had initially caused his quietness to go unnoticed by the shinki. Though when Yukine made it all the way down to breakfast without Yato making him want to maim him, Yukine started to wonder if the god was ill or attempting to hide an injury. This wouldn't be the first time the bakagami got injured and decided it would be a brilliant idea to hide his injury until it the pain became unbearable. Amazing how "smart" his master could be except Yukine was simply not that fortunate and his master was a bakagami that liked to hide his injuries.

Yukine was going to insist Yato prove he was uninjured when suddenly Yato turned to Yukine and said, "Got any plans for today, champ?" The regalia nearly choked on his cereal when Yato said that and even now he shivered at the general weirdness of hearing Yato call him _that_. It wasn't even the term itself that threw Yukine for a loop, but the way Yato's voice had deepened on the word "champ". Perhaps Yukine had imagined it, but he didn't think so considering Daikoku had raised a single eyebrow in Yato's direction when this occurred and Kofuku's idle chatter died a quick death while her purple eyes popped open.

Suffice it to say, Yukine had rushed to scarf down the rest of his meal before fleeing the table with the excuse that he had plans to train with Kazuma today. Yet despite his attempt, Yato had caught his shoulder at the door and with his sweaty palms dampening his jacket -his god really needed to get that condition checked- Yato uttered something that baffled Yukine even now.

_"Life is like a box of sushi, it can be spicy with wasabi and sweet with soy sauce."_

Kofuku had definitely been choking on her tea upon hearing that line after a startled laugh escaped her while she was in the middle of drinking. Meanwhile Yukine had immediately fled -his face had been _burning_\- yet managed to hear Daikoku's outraged shouting about Yato daring to freak out his lady while what sounded like a body -his master most likely- crashed into a wall.

Yukine paused in his steps, stopping in the middle of the stone path because it now occurred to him that maybe going home wasn't the best idea if Yato was still acting that weird. His cheeks warmed at the remembrance of being called "champ" because he had never been so embarrassed by his master in his life and considering how embarrassing Yato was on a daily basis, this was saying something.

Deciding he did _not_ want to go through that again, at least not just yet, Yukine turned around and headed down the path in the opposite direction of home while silently hoping he would not run into Yato due to some twist in fate. He did note with mild concern that it was getting dark out, but figured the streetlamps would be enough for him. Thus he continued on his way, his goal to reach Hiyori's house before nightfall and crash at her place, but his walk was disrupted as the sound of splashing intruded on the quiet. He turned until he spotted a nearby lake and noticed ripples in the midnight black water.

Yukine narrowed his eyes and waited for a long moment, only to frown when Nora made no appearance. Hm, maybe he was being paranoid. His imagination did get a little out of control when it was dark out, which often led to normal things like a tree branch becoming a clawed hand reaching for him. Yukine snorted at the thought, turned away from the lake, and flinched back because Nora was standing right in front of him.

"Do you know why the darkness frightens you?" Nora tilted her head as if she was truly invested in his answer, but her expression was impassive and the lack of inflection in her voice said she didn't care.

Yukine recovered fast and glared at her while straightening his spine to stand tall. "I'm not scared, and I am not in the mood to deal with you." Frankly he was never in the mood to see Nora or deal with her cryptic messages and play her cruel mind games.

Nora's lips curled on one side to form a pale smile that held none of the warmth a smile was supposed to have. "The darkness _does_ scare you. Your eyes always look different at night, when you're in the dark." She took a step forward into his personal space, but Yukine stood his ground because he was _not_ afraid and he was going to show her how unafraid he was. "The hazel in your eyes shrink while your pupils grow until it's like the black moon shrouding the orange sun during an eclipse."

Yukine was a bit unnerved by the intensity of Nora's gaze as she peered into his face so he took one step back. "I'm not afraid." He repeated while crossing his arms because Nora needed to stop doing this and maybe showing her she couldn't faze him anymore would deter her. He knew with a certain amount of pride that Nora only bothered him so much because she was still bitter over the fact that Yato had chosen Yukine over her, which was clear from the fiery glare she had sent him after Yato released her and how her verbal attacks had intensified from then on. However, ever since Nora had basically tried to kill him by sicking a pack of ayakashi wolves on him, he'd been more than a little wary of their encounters.

"If you are not afraid," Nora stepped back into the tree line and went further and further into the darkness until she was hidden by the shade of a nearby tree and Yukine blinked because it looked like she was actually leaving him alone for once. "Maybe you should be." Yukine's arms dropped to his sides because that line made no sense. What was she hinting at?

Nora stepped further back into the shade a row of trees offered her so now all Yukine could make out was her cold brown eyes. "Maybe you should be afraid of what lurks in the darkness."

Yukine felt fear trickle into his heart and this feeling spread to his outermost parts when he noticed that the sky was a dark hue and there were no stars out tonight. His gaze drifted down to the shadows surrounding him outside of the circle of light from a nearby streetlamp, making his anxiety rise even higher and he wondered if maybe enduring Yato's eccentricity would have been preferable to running into Nora.

The rustling of leaves behind him caused him to jump before he whipped around to face Nora, only to take in the sight of Father standing there with the locution brush in hand and held up as if he had just painted a masterpiece. Father's stance and his smirk were all the warning Yukine got before an ethereal purple light appeared below his feet and rose until his form was consumed by its radiance. He yelped as his vision was eclipsed by violet shading until purple was the only color he could see.

"What is-" Yukine choked as a force beyond his understanding overwhelmed all five of his senses. His nervous system went haywire, he lost motor control as he was electrified all over and pain sparked throughout his body. He couldn't scream, he couldn't breathe, and he doubted his heart was still beating as his limbs spasm because he could no longer feel his body. Yukine couldn't feel anything, as if he and his body were separate entities and Yukine's life was tethered to no physical form. If he wasn't in the midst of a panic attack, Yukine might have realized this detached sensation reminded him of being in weapon form, of existing yet having no physical presence.

_"Come to me." _ Father's voice was right by his ear and his invitation sent waves of warm feelings throughout his body as if he'd suddenly been swaddled in a great fuzzy comforter. Yukine wanted to curl up next to Father's voice, wanted to hear praise come from that voice and had the urge to do anything it asked of him. Yet Yukine could see the man through the purple haze and knew that Father's mouth had not moved. This was enough to startle him and make him question his sudden impulsive feelings because Father's voice was in his head and something was terribly wrong.

Yukine's head snapped to the side and his neck burned from the whiplash, but the pain wasn't important because there were thoughts in his head shouting obey, obey, must obey! Yukine's stomach churned because those thoughts were not his own. They were too disjointed and resembled the cry of a beast in pain moreso than a human voice.

_"Obey me."_ Father's command intruded upon his thoughts again and it was suddenly too crowded and _loud_ in his own mind. The physical pain and his spiraling thoughts forced Yukine down to his knees. His body bowed over and it was a struggle to focus on a single thought because it was too much!

Feelings foreign to himself, rage and greed and lust, invaded his body like a tidal wave and Yato had to have sensed these radical, unbridled emotions by now. Yato had to have been stung from such powerful negative feelings and Yukine was hurting his master. Yukine had hurt his master. Yukine _hurt_ Yato.

"No!" Yukine's back arched as he struggled to regain control because he needed to protect Yato and those feelings and impulses were a threat to his god. His palms slammed into the frigid stone ground and his nails scratched the earth, but he ignored the pebbles cutting into his flesh and the chipping of his nails.

_Get out! _He screamed internally and almost thought he could hear his own voic echo within his mind while he shoved his will against that of the foreign spirit invading him. Instantly the pain retreated and Yukine sucked in a shuddering breath before falling into a coughing fit because he hadn't been breathing and the sudden intake was too much for his deprived lungs.

"What a disappointment."

He ignored Father while his breathing cleared up and the violet film over his eyes departed. Though his heart continued to beat unnaturally in his chest and his arms trembled as a strange tingly feeling lingered over his skin.

"I was hoping for more."

Yukine finally had the strength to look up to see Nora and Father standing beside each other and he glared instinctively. He vaguely felt something brush against his blond hair, but quickly forgot the sensation when he noticed Nora appeared to be mildly surprised. Considering Nora rarely showed any emotion besides cruel amusement or cold fury, Yukine's glare fell away and confusion made his eyes widen because even Father looked a tad uncertain as he scrutinized Yukine.

"What are you staring at?" Yukine meant to say, but only a strange rumble erupted from his throat. Disturbed, especially when he saw Father's lips twist into a smirk, Yukine clambered to his feet.

Though Yukine nearly fell over as the terrible desire to _hug_ Father came over him, and in his horror, the shinki cried, "What did you do to me?" Thankfully the question came out as human speech, though, he could tell his voice was strained -almost a growl.

"Something I didn't intend, however," Father shrugged a little as his and Nora's confidence returned with the girl's expression cooling into her usual apathy. "I'm pleased with the outcome of my work." Father raised an empty hand to make a beckoning motion and Yukine nearly upchucked when his feet twitched because some part of him wanted so badly to run up to Father. Although most of him wanted to rip the man to shreds and that normal feeling reassured him somewhat.

"Perhaps this could still end with you calling me master."

A feral growl rose in Yukine's throat and disgust won out over his strange urges. "You're not my master and never will be." He took an aggressive step forward while something -the wind?- moved above his head, but his attention shifted when he took another step and a loud splash came from beneath him.

Yukine looked down at his shoe immersed in a deep puddle and paused because in his rippling reflection there was something white glowing violet above his head, but the ripples were distorting his image. He waited for the water to calm, squinting at the strange glow, but his heart shriveled and died at the sight of the two furry, white triangles sticking out of his blond hair like daisies blooming in a desert.

His hands shot up to touch what looked like wolf ears, but when his skin made contact with the furry triangles -they couldn't be ears, he wasn't some animal!- he yelped and his hands flinched away because the contact had stung his fingers. Yukine looked down at his hands and gasped because his fingers weren't burned, but they were marred by the dark purple blotches that were a sign of blighting. As if he had touched an...an ayakashi?

Yukine slowly tilted his head up, though he had to forcibly drag his gaze away from his reflection in the puddle because there were _canine_ ears on his head, and he stared at the man and nora he knew were responsible for this horror. "What have you done to me?" His voice was quiet, steady, and completely human with vulnerability stuffed into each word.

"I was attempting to turn you into an ayakashi, but my formula was a bit off." Father's flippant tone mixed with his cocky smirk to form a repulsive concoction. "Or was it?" The man held out his hand once more and Yukine recognized with despair that some part of him was missing. The part of Yukine that made him human was gone and in its place was a familiar monster.

He was part ayakashi.

Yukine stared at Father and when the faintest urge to run to the man's side cropped up, Yukine spun on his heels and fled.

* * *

Yato was watching television at Hiyori's house, which was an activity he seldom indulged in until recently. He wished Hiyori would come back and sit next to him -she was soft and warm and he missed that- but the girl had tired of his amazing awesomeness since his good looks were a lot to handle after prolonged exposure. Thus she had sat him on the couch and ordered him to find a show that would keep him out of her hair for the rest of the night. Yato had obliged because Hiyori asked nicely, though that might have been her avoiding shouting like she wanted to for fear of waking her slumbering parents. Though above all else Yato took up Hiyori's suggestion because he did have something he needed to watch.

The something in question was the family sitcom playing on the television screen now. Yato bounced his leg up and down, anxious for the son character to stop talking to the sister character and interact with the dad character. Already he'd pulled out his notebook and held a pen over it in preparation to take notes. He was a little tired because it was getting late, but this show was vital to his and Yukine's relationship.

Yato didn't know if there was a specific event or moment that led to this, but over the course of time, Yato felt the desire budding within himself to become a better caretaker of Yukine. Maybe it was because Father had come back into his life recently or perhaps it was because Yato was seeing a really ugly trend where his kid got hurt because Yato failed to protect his shinki from Nora, Father, or whoever else decided to ruin his life this week. Point was, Yato needed to be better, needed to be a better caretaker. Yukine was his shinki, his kid, and it was his job to protect him. Yato didn't know what he would do if he couldn't protect him...if he let his kid die on him. It would be his fault. Bad things happening to people he cared about were _always_ his fault.

Yato shook his head and refocused on the show because it wasn't like he'd failed already. Unfortunately, the son was completely missing from the TV screen. Great, now how was he going to learn more about human familial interactions? It wasn't like he could stalk-um, observe Hiyori and her dad, as apparently sons with dads interacted a little differently than daughters and dads. At least that was what Hiyori told him, unless that was her subtle way of trying to keep him from following and taking notes on her dad's behavior and how Hiyori interacted with him.

A soft chime in his pocket didn't garner even a glance towards his phone since he was so engrossed on his note taking now that the dad character returned to grant his son words of wisdom. Yet when the phone rang again, his hand automatically pulled it out and flipped it open before placing it against his ear.

"How are you, Yaboku?"

He'd opened his mouth to greet the person on the line, but now his jaw snapped close so hard he was certain Father heard the clack of bone on bone.

"You're staying warm this winter, right? You know I worry about you."

Yato hated himself in this moment, though mostly he hated his treacherous feelings. His mind told him they were lies -Father _always_ lied- but there was this fluttering in his chest when Father said things like this. When Father claimed he _cared_ and for one short moment before his mind recognized his father had likely never cared about him outside of his usefulness as a tool, Yato believed the man's words. For one second that never lasted long enough, Yato felt loved.

Yet that second had already passed.

His face hardened into stone as he said, "I don't know what this is about-"

"Don't worry," he could picture Father waving him off with a casual smile, and his hands clenched over his notebook because he could tell this was the calm before the storm. "I'm not calling for anything important, I only wanted to ask how you were doing. How's life? How's Hiyori?"

"You go to school with her so shouldn't you know?" Yato didn't understand why he hadn't hung up -why he couldn't. It wasn't as if he enjoyed his father's company, and it gave him chills simply recalling playing videogames with Father and being trampled by the man's domineering presence.

Father laughed and Yato cringed because it wasn't natural to hear even a feigned chuckle from Father because if his dad was happy then someone was undoubtedly in pain or would be soon. "You caught me! I'm not really interested in Hiyori right now," The man's tone grew serious, "but I think you should be interested in your regalia. He didn't look very well a few minutes ago."

"What did you do?" Yato felt his pupils contract while all the sights and sounds of the world dimmed because Yato only had ears for what sounded like a threat. "If you did anything to Yuki-"

"Now who said I did something?" The light-hearted, joking tilt to the man's question caused the beast inside him to roar and his hands clenched around the phone because there could be something wrong with Yukine. His kid was in danger.

"Okay, well, I might have done something, but Yukine is fine. He was even well enough to run off in the middle of our chat, but he didn't seem to be heading home… Hm, that might be my fault too."

The vilest of venom was bubbling in the back of his throat because Father had definitely hurt his kid. Yukine was out there alone, in the dark, and scared enough to run and Father had done somethi-

Yato nearly dropped the phone as it struck him that he didn't feel it. Yukine was out there in the dark and clearly had a frightful experience with Father yet Yato could sense nothing. Yato hadn't felt a single hint of fear from his kid, in fact, Yukine seemed calmer than usual.

His hand moved up to rub the spot above his heart, but there was no pain or warmth there. He considered the possibility Father was lying, that this was some twisted prank, but his senses told him Yukine was in fact in trouble.

"Where did you last see him?" Yato demanded, dropping everything and not even bothering to turn off the television as he rushed towards the door.

"By the park near your current residence, but I doubt he's around here. By now, the poor thing could be anywhere." The teasing lit was still in Father's voice, but there was an undercurrent of warning -a threat- too. Yet the line went dead before he could further interrogate Father, however, Yato did not allow that to slow him down as he ran into the darkness of night and the door slammed close behind him.

* * *

Yukine didn't stop running until he literally couldn't take another step and he collapsed onto all fours. However, this position was too animalistic for him and he hurriedly forced himself up into a stand. He couldn't take his eyes off his hands as he did so, frowning at the splotches from the blight that had already spread down to his wrists. They bothered him a little, but weren't his priority.

His body was different, he could feel it, and he had seen those ears -wolf ears- sticking out of his head. At the reminder, Yukine realized he did not know if he even had human ears anymore. Deciding he needed to know no matter what, Yukine reached up and felt for his earlobes. Triumph brought a smile to his face when his fingers caressed what had to be human ears on the side of his head, but he winced when the blight spread over the skin of them. Quickly he released his ears and stuffed his hands into his pockets because he was liable to forget that his hands were infected and could very well accidentally spread the blight even more.

He wanted to check the rest of himself, though a part of him really didn't want to know how much of him had transformed -he shouldn't have a tail, please tell him he didn't have one wagging behind him- but he didn't bother. Rather he allowed burning liquid to sting his eyes because it wasn't fair, Yukine hadn't done anything wrong, and yet here he was. Blighted, terrified, and turning into the very monster Yato and him killed on a daily basis.

What would his master think of him? His stomach knotted up into a pretzel because he couldn't go to Yato, as much as he yearned to see a familiar face, yearned to be safe. He couldn't dare show his face to his god when there were still foreign feelings shouting at him to turn back, to return to Father and obey.

Yukine abruptly started running again, but didn't have a clear idea where he was heading. Though he figured running in the opposite direction of Father was his safest bet so he did his best to go in that direction. He took great care to avoid any people out at this late hour because he had no desire to hurt them, but the monster inside him could have other ideas and he wasn't going to risk it. Yet he nearly fell over his own feet when he recognized the neighborhood he was running through and realized whose house he stood across from.

"Hiyori..." He eyed the dark bedroom window above him, noting that the window was halfway open. Hiyori wasn't a shinki or god so surely she'd be safe from his blight and the ayakashi inside. Eager to see a friendly face, Yukine scaled the nearby tree with a grace he didn't recall having and crawled across a sturdy branch to the girl's window. In a matter of seconds, Yukine was standing in Hiyori's room and hovering a few feet away from the slumbering girl.

A strange sensation budded inside him as he stepped up to her bedside, but he ignored the nice scent of Hiyori's perfume or shampoo because he simply wanted to talk to her. Hiyori gave great advice and was always there for him so surely she could help him. As the intoxicating scent of what had to be a new perfume because Hiyori had never smelt so good caused him to lean in closer than necessary, Yukine's fears died because Hiyori was half-ayakashi. Thus maybe Yukine wasn't turning into a monster, perhaps he was simply half-ayakashi like her! Yes, his wolf ears were like Hiyori's cat tail, merely a side effect.

He stretched a shaky arm over Hiyori's shoulder and gently placed his hand on her skin. Then his fingers arched and his nails raked down Hiyori's back. The girl jerked up with a scream and Yukine reeled back while snatching back the hand now coated in Hiyori's blood, but he could not breathe or speak or move as Hiyori's teary eyes bored into his and her terror matched his own.

His hand with nails stained red was struggling against his other hand and Yukine understood now that this was different from Hiyori's condition. He had hurt Hiyori, attacked his friend, and the only time Hiyori had attacked him and Yato like that was when she'd been the verge of becoming a full ayakashi. Becoming a monster.

Yukine fled the way he came in right as the hallway lights came on and Hiyori's father called to her. Yet already he was out the window and crouching in the grass below like the monstrous beast he was.

He threw the hood of his jacket over his head to hide his horrid transformation before taking off the way he came because that direction led to home and he needed to go there. Maybe everything would be alright if he just went home. Maybe this would turn out to be a mere nightmare. Maybe he would wake up human again.

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**I'm not sure how long this will be, but I'm thinking it will be about five to six chapters right now. Though I'm terrible at estimating when I can update sooo for now, let's say this fic will be updated anytime from tomorrow to two weeks from now. Just remember I'm a college student in her last semester so keep your expectations realistic lol**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sooo sorry for taking three weeks to update this! Unfortunately midterm exams popped up and took me by surprise. Thank you all for your patience as well as for the reviews, follows, and favorites!**

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Yukine plunged his hand into the icy lake and held it down even as the chill seeped through his skin. After a minute, he pulled it out but trembled upon seeing Hiyori's blood was still staining his nails. He raised his other hand to grab the offensive appendage, to cover the vile evidence of his treachery, but noticed his fingers on that hand also had blood smeared over them. He took in the chipped and overall poor appearance of his nails, and soon understood that this blood was his own from when he had clawed at the ground.

Desperation abated somewhat, Yukine cradled his hands to his chest since they were freezing, but it did them little good. It was a bitter cold night, one Yukine had not prepared for when he put on this thin jacket this morning. He was supposed to be home before it got this cold. He needed to go home now.

He rose, and while he wiped grass of his pants he caught sight of his arms. The blight was starting to bother him now that it had spread past his wrists, but he could easily fix that once he was home. He turned towards the stone path and maybe it was just him seeing what he wanted to see, but already he could see the lights from Kofuku's home and the goddess standing there waiting for him. It was better than Yato waiting for him because he was not prepared to face his god yet, not after what he'd done to Hiyori.

He shivered and it had nothing to do with the cold. Then before he could second guess himself, he lurched forward and took off in a mad dash. He was a monster for what he'd done to Hiyori, and after everything she had done for him, he would never be able to show his face to her again.

His eyes started to water as the wind whipped pass him, but he pushed himself faster and faster until a beam of light blinded him. He skidded to a stop, raising his hands and turning away.

"Yukki!"

He peeked over the bright beam and gaped, lowering his hands, because that was Kofuku standing there. Her curls were frizzy, a couple of her pink strands sticking out -had she just gotten out of bed?- and in her hands was a flashlight. Yet she quickly flicked it off and ran to him.

Filled with relief that he'd finally made it home, he lurched forward to meet her, but at the last second he threw down his hands before they could blight her.

"Kofuku-"

Her arms wrapped around him and enveloped him in warmth before he could get out his warning. "Yukki, we were so worried about you!" She held his head against her neck and he inhaled a sweet scent, far sweeter than what Hiyori had produced. The beast within him awakened, and desperately he tried to warn her, but only a thin wail came out his throat.

Kofuku, upon hearing this, released him and her misty eyes turned down to his face. "What's wrong? Did Father hurt you?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and the muscles beneath them trembled because she smelled amazing, spectacular, so delicious!

He clenched his jaw, denying the ayakashi's urge to chomp down on tender, succulent flesh, though he couldn't stop himself from eyeing the smooth skin of Kofuku's neck. The goddess gasped suddenly and for a second he thought some part of him beyond his control had struck her scrumptious -no, not edible, Kofuku wasn't food!- body. However, he was relieved when the goddess merely grasped his arms, taking care to avoid his skin, and raised his severely blighted hands.

"Oh, Yukki," Kofuku's eyebrows drew together in a show of sympathy before her lips stretched into a tiny smile. "Don't worry, we can cleanse these off right now. Let's get-"

No! The ayakashi roared and his hands yanked back to him without his conset. Kofuku was as surprised as him, but there was no time to assess what he had done before Kofuku reached for him and fear that wasn't his took over.

"What's wrong-"

Yukine lunged at her and Kofuku went down if only because he had surprised her. However, she swiftly latched onto his bloody hand, which had been stretching towards her face. Her eyes widened as she saw the bloodied and jagged fingernails on it, but then her eyes latched onto the space above his head.

His hood had fallen off, he knew it from the horror on Kofuku's face and what had he been thinking? He'd been so desperate to go home and now Kofuku knew what he was, and soon Yato would know too.

A borderline struck his side and he flew off Kofuku to smack into the trunk of a tree. The branches shook above him and a couple of twigs fell off, scratching his exposed face.

"Get off my lady!"

Another borderline formed in front of him and the shine blinded him. His covered his eyes while scrambling to sit up and his back scraped against the bark of the tree. There was shouting nearby, but his ears were ringing, so tentatively he opened his eyes to figure out what was happening. Through the borderline's radiance he saw Daikoku and Kofuku standing with the shinki's arm wrapped around the goddess' waist as she leaned on him. Yet there was no loving tenderness caressing their faces as they embraced, rather they stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips and for once Yukine and the ayakashi agreed as they both wanted to flee.

Of course, he didn't belong with them anymore. He was a monster now, just like when he had blighted Yato and nearly crossed over, and even then he had been denied access to the home. Yet this was even worse as it wasn't just his master he was hurting now so he should have known Daikoku would do this. He deserved it.

However, he couldn't stand those looks, didn't want to see such disgust and fear directed at him, so when they started to call to him he took off. His ribs ached where they had been struck so his gait was slightly awkward, but still he pushed himself forward into the city. There was nowhere for him to go -monsters don't belong anywhere- so when he found a little alley tucked away from view, he sat himself in a corner and hugged his knees. However, he felt uneven as he leaned back, like there was some kind of obstruction behind him. He turned back and the blood drained from his face because there was a furry white tail sticking up behind him and the fur grazed his face as it twitched.

He slowly turned away from it and stared unseeingly at the mouth of the alleyway. It seemed he had reached his limit, for all his emotions had fled from him and left him hollow. Thus he buried his face in the space between his knees and held himself all the more tighter. At least if he felt nothing at all, Yato would be okay.

Though he couldn't say the same for himself.

* * *

Yato couldn't find his kid anywhere. He had checked all of Yukine's usual spots in the city, but there had been no sign of him. Now all he could do was fight against the instinct to call Kofuku and Daikoku incessantly until they had some good news for him, but surely Kofuku would have called if Yukine came home and Daikoku would do the same if he found the shinki in the park.

Though it worried him that he still couldn't feel anything from Yukine. Sure, there was a steady calm coming from the kid that at least let him know his hafuri was still breathing, but concrete emotions were absent. Considering what had happened, the kid had every right to feel anxious or scared, yet there was nothing. It was if something was blocking the emotional connection between them, and if that were true, Yato could only hope the link could be reestablished.

It wasn't natural for a god and shinki to be so emotionally distant. In fact, it was dangerous. Knowing how his kid was feeling let Yato catch on to any negative emotions in his regalia and keep track of their frequency. It let him intervene and prevent Yukine from getting anywhere close to the line between shinki and ayakashi.

It didn't help that Father was being close-lipped about what exactly happened in his encounter with Yukine. It also hadn't escaped his notice that this entire situation was odd. Father was supposedly helping him find Yukine, despite being the reason Yukine ran away, and Yato was under no delusion such an action derived from kindness. There was always a purpose to Father's "kind" acts and said purposes often resulted in people getting hurt. Now it seemed his kid was the one receiving the hurt, and for that, Father would pay if-

His phone chimed and he snapped it open. "Did you find him? Is he alright?" There had to be good news, please let there be some kind of news.

"Yato," Daikoku's gruff voice greeted him, but it sounded softer than usual.

He waited a moment, but when nothing else was offered, he asked, "Well, did you find him?"

"We saw Yukine, but he's gone." The shinki's tone was heavy with remorse and Yato pressed the phone harder against his ear. "He ran away from us." His blood pressure began rising because his kid wouldn't flee from friendly faces.

"Has Yukine been stinging you?"

"What?" Yato nearly dropped the phone, he started so violently. "No, of course not. Where would you get an idea like that?" Daikoku had to be asking with good reason. This wasn't the time to randomly inquire about Yato's health or question his hafuri's ability to control his emotions.

"I only ask because," Daikoku paused, then, "Yukine is turning into an ayakashi."

Yato froze, a wave of numbness spread from his fingers down to his toes while his mind took in the words, but did not comprehend them.

"He attacked Kofuku, but she wasn't hurt."

Another bullet struck his heart. He shook his head as if denying the claim, and ran a hand through his bangs, but he knew Daikoku wouldn't lie or ever joke about Kofuku being hurt. Yet this was impossible, no way his shinki had started transforming into an ayakashi without his knowing. There had to be stinging and negative emotions, and if Yukine's condition was this bad the stinging should have started days ago.

"Yato?" Daikoku sounded worry, but it was taking time to get rid of the numbness infecting his body and tongue.

He took a steadying breath and said, "You and Kofuku should stay home in case Yukine comes back," his tone was flat and dead as he felt. "I know it's not likely, but if he does, try to keep him there and call me immediately. I'm going to continue looking for him."

Daikoku didn't speak for a moment, perhaps considering protesting, but soon he sighed. "He's hurt," An iron fist clenched his heart and held the organ captive. "Kofuku says his hands are badly blighted."

"Okay," he breathed again -stay calm, it's not that bad. "Thanks for letting me know." He hung up the phone and stared at it.

Not only was he beyond worried now, he was confused. If Yukine was feeling enough negative emotions to turn into an ayakashi -he hoped dearly that wasn't the case- Yato should be the one blighted, not his shinki. Also a transformation to the extent that Daikoku described couldn't have happened so quickly, not when his kid had been perfectly fine this morning.

It had to be Father's fault, the man had done something terrible to his kid. Though once again this brought up the question of why Father would alert Yato.

He massaged his temple as the questions and potential answers buzzed in his brain, but he was interrupted when another call came in. He flipped it open and upon seeing Hiyori's number considered not answering because he wasn't in the right state of mind, however, it was strange that the girl would call him this late. In general it was odd for her to call him when normally he was the one blowing up her phone.

Feeling a trickle of trepidation, he answered, and upon hearing Hiyori's words, dread overshadowed everything.

* * *

Yukine had stopped rocking himself. Nausea made his stomach ache and his lunch had tried to come up several times so he'd stilled. He was sure the nausea was a side effect, either from his rib injury or to whatever was transforming him. Perhaps the war inside him was tossing his insides all over the place.

It didn't help that the blight had spread from his arms to his chest and his face burned too. Oddly enough though, the blight didn't hurt too badly and the splotches were a mild irritation at best.

His tail -he hated acknowledging it but it was there- shifted behind him and he groaned over the reminder before burrowing his face back into his arms. He didn't understand why this was happening, why Father had did this to him. What good would turning him into an ayakashi do? Sure, it could potentially allow Father to control him -he would never allow that!- but how was an ayakashi better than a shinki? They didn't have the power or higher thinking like shinki did.

There had to be more to this. Father may have wanted Yukine as his servant, Yato had warned him about the man being impressed by his strength, but that couldn't just be it. If he really wanted Yukine to serve him, surely there was a less convoluted way.

His ears -maybe the wolf ones- picked up the soft patter of feet and he lifted his head to see Nora standing in the opening of the alley.

He scowled and his shoulders slumped. "What is it now, Nora?" The girl had troubled him enough for one night, enough for a lifetime really.

"Calm down." The girl took a couple steps forward, but kept her distance as Yukine got into a stand. "Father only wants me to make sure you're unharmed."

"Really?" Yukine crossed his arms and glowered. "Why would he care when he's the reason I'm like this?" His smile was sharp as he gestured to his blighted and deformed body.

Nora cocked her head to present an image of innocence that didn't fool him. "Of course he cares, he cares about all of his shinki."

He bared his teeth and something about that motion hurt, but it was taking all he had not to strike Nora with a borderline. "I'm not _his_ shinki!"

"You are not Yato's either."

He recoiled. "W-What do you mean?" The question came out a bit warped at first, his voice mixing with a deeper inhuman voice before easing into something normal.

Nora shook her head and her smile was as crooked as her heart. "You can't be Yato's shinki anymore, or do you not care whether he gets hurt?"

He balled up his hands and his tail shifted behind him. "Of course I care! I'm his hafuri," An edge of confidence returned to him because Yato had entrusted him with that special title, his god had faith in him. "And that makes it my job to protect him from any harm."

"Then who will protect him from you?" Nora's dark eyes locked onto his tangerine orange.

"I would never-" A hard object scraped against his lips and he threw his hands up to his mouth. He hissed as he pricked his finger on a sharp tip, but didn't pull back, rather he ran his finger over the slick marble surface until he realized the object extended from his own mouth. It was his teeth. He had a fang.

A cold chill washed over him and his knees shook as he lowered his hands, but Nora simply smirked. "Do you see now? If you go back to Yato, you will likely kill him."

Yukine wanted so badly to deny it, but the canine inside reveled at the idea of sinking its teeth into his master's exposed neck -smell nice, god smell nice. He was a risk, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he'd already lost control so many times tonight. Hiyori, how badly was she hurt? Kofuku, could she or Daikoku ever forgive him?

"It doesn't have to be that way,"

He hadn't realized how close Nora had gotten, but now there was but three feet between them. He took a step back and pressed himself hard against the wall, and though his tail was crushed by the movement, he didn't pay it mind. Nora smelled very nice today and while the ayakashi part of him had no desire to eat her, something about Nora was intoxicating. He wanted her closer, but no, that wasn't _his_ desire.

Nora stretched out her hand, offering him one of her powder soft palms. "Come with me and I'll take you to Father. You won't have to hurt your master, he'll be safe." She raised her hand closer to his face and he turned away from it, holding his breath, however the sweet aroma still reached him.

The scent was overpowering and it was everywhere. Yukine could practically see the wisps of the wonderful, amazing aroma wafting off of Nora in streams. It didn't help that the ayakashi inside was so eager to run into her arms that his tail was writhing and twisting in joy.

Yukine was slipping, his body was failing him and already he had turned to face Nora. Her kind hazelnut eyes exuded patience and he couldn't stop his gaze from dropping to her hand. It looked so tender and warm, and when was the last time someone tried to comfort him without him having to worry about maiming them?

_"Come to me."_

He hesitated a second from making contact with Nora and hovered his hand an inch above her own. Nora frowned and her eyes lost their tenderness -maybe it had never been there- and though the intoxicating smell was still there, he no longer payed it mind.

"No," he pulled his hand back and steel entered his eyes. "I won't betray Yato, I'm his shinki and his only." His voice was stronger than he felt, but he wouldn't cross that line. No one was allowed to give him orders except his god. The silly, childish god that pestered him and Hiyori and bought ridiculous charms. The baka that would call Yukine his kid and made him feel like he had a home.

He didn't care how disappointed the ayakashi residing in him was or the cool anger marring Nora's face as she lowered her hand and stepped away from him. Ayakashi or not, he was still Yukine, and not even Father could take his name away from him.

"You foolish boy," Nora backed away and he warily regarded her. "Did you ever consider what Yato will think when he sees you?"

His confidence wavered and Nora departed. He didn't want to believe that Yato would judge him, especially after he explained that this wasn't his fault, Father had done this to him. However, he could not forget what he'd done to Hiyori or how he must have stung Yato so many times with all these negative emotions festering in his body. There was also his attack on Kofuku to consider, and he'd already seen how Daikoku reacted, how the older shinki struck him without hesitation. If Yato found out what he'd done to Hiyori, he wouldn't be pleased. Maybe he'd even be angry.

Yukine remembered how angry and firece Yato became when they thought Bishamon had kidnapped Hiyori. The rage, that aura of danger, wasn't something he saw often from Yato, and it certainly wasn't something he'd seen directed towards him. However, Yukine was a monster now and as he leaned back against the brick wall of the alley he couldn't help but picture his master storming in and sending that hateful look towards him.

* * *

Yato's face was schooled into one of neutrality while he leaned against the bedroom wall. Hiyori stood tall before him with her eyes narrowed and face flushed in anger.

"I want to look for him too, he needs our help." Her hands curled into tight fists and he noticed that her stance warned he was on the verge of being kicked out a window, but he could handle a little pain if it kept her safe.

Hiyori apparently didn't agree because she latched onto his face and dragged his head down until they were at eye level. "If you don't let me come with you-"

"Hiyori," he placed his hands on hers and the girl started, her cheeks darkening in hue. Normally he would have admired how easily flustered she was, but this wasn't the time. He needed her to understand.

"I get that you want to help Yukine, but it's not safe." His gaze traveled over her shoulder and landed on the back of her neck where a strip of bandage laid. There were more strips there, he knew there was, though Hiyori had only allowed him a glimpse of the injury before insisting she was fine, it was just a scratch.

Just a scratch that came from his own kid who maybe turning into an ayakashi or perhaps something worse.

Hiyori noticed his gaze and her eyes softened into a bubblegum pink while he gently removed her hands from his face. "You know how dangerous he is." It hurt admitting it, to ever imagine his kid harming anything outside of ayakashi or a threat to Yato. However, the evidence against his kid was overwhelming.

"Then won't it be dangerous for you too?" Hiyori was staring at the ground, her hands clapsed together. "If Father did something to Yukine's mind, he might not even recognize you."

He inhaled sharply and Hiyori's head snapped up as she realized her mistake, but he waved down her hasty apology because she had made a good point. It was entirely possible Yukine wouldn't recognize him, had forgotten him -the thought alone grieved him- as well as forgotten everyone else. It would explain why he had attacked Kofuku and Hiyori. Maybe Father hadn't just messed with Yukine's body, but also gotten his head.

"Yato..." Hiyori raised her hands over her heart, and he was so grateful to have a girl like her by his side, who cared so deeply. He never really had anyone like that. Not since Sakura.

His phone blared for what felt like the hundredth time tonight, but he was quick to answer because maybe good news was finally on its way.

"It seems I overestimated how much you cared about your regalia," Father's velvet voice slipped into his ear and his whole body tensed, but he did not reply to Hiyori's concerned inquiry.

"I've been searching all night for him." He kept himself under control by a thread, but the jab at his capabilities as Yukine's caretaker hurt and Father always knew where to strike. "And maybe I would have found him by now if you just told me what exactly you did to him." His tone darkened, bordering on disrespectful, and anger coiled like a spring inside that was just waiting to be launched.

"Oh, Yaboku, but that would ruin the surprise!" Father grinned and bared his teeth at him through the phone, he could sense it.

"What did you do to him?" Yato demanded while Hiyori listened attentively by his side, her frown growing more severe the longer she listened. "Why is he turning into an ayakashi? Why can't I sense his feelings anymore?" He heard Hiyori give a little gasp at that, but there was only so much he could shield her from.

Father sighed and made a tsking sound. "Now, now, that wasn't my fault. I never meant for Yukine to suffer so much."

"Then what were you trying to do?!" He wanted to wring Father's neck for what he'd done, for daring to hurt _his_ kid.

None of this was natural, whatever Father had done was not simply a case of Yukine stinging Yato and transforming due to that -he would gladly accept stinging at this point- and he had no idea if it could be reversed. What if Yukine just got worse and worse until Yato would have no choice but to slay... He jerked his head, shaking loose from the horrid thought. Yukine would be okay, there had to be a way to fix this and Yato would find a way.

"Doesn't matter," Father cut in and his smirk was clear through the line. "What does matter is I found your regalia for you." Yato's jaw went slack because out of all the people, he hadn't expected the good news to come from Father, and the man must have heard his surprise because he chuckled a bit. "Yes, that's right, I found him, but you really should keep Yukine on a tighter leash. Maybe then you wouldn't lose him so much."

"Where is he?" Yato didn't hide the desperation woven in his tone. His kid needed him and nothing else mattered except bringing Yukine home.

"Try fifth avenue, in front of the fountain." The teasing note in Father's voice caused him to narrow his eyes. He simply couldn't shake the feeling this was wrong, very wrong, and he knew better than to trust Father.

"Okay," he wouldn't get a straight answer from Father, however, so he didnt try asking before hanging up. Then he sent Hiyori a regretful little smile, and the girl had just started to speak when he teleported.

Arriving on a street corner that was devoid of life save for the few convience stores opened, Yato looked around until he spotted a fountain across the street. His blue eyes latched onto the short figure sitting on the edge of the fountain with his hood up.

He ran over, heart hammering because his kid was safe now, and his shinki's head whipped up as he shouted, "Yukine!"

However, he did not get to embrace his kid as he wanted to or hold him tight and never let go because those orange eyes had flown open wide and already the kid was running. Yet the boy stumbled and perhaps that was the only reason Yato managed to catch his sleeve before he could disappear into the darkness of night.

Yet he did not expect the kid to collapse, for the hood to fall off and reveal Yukine's frightened expression beneath a terribly blighted face. Nor did he expect the tiny white fangs or furry ears sticking out the child's head and in surprise, he let go.

Without a word Yukine fled and Yato, useless god he was, could only watch.

* * *

**So I'm going to estimate it will be another two weeks before this is updated. Since**** spring break is coming up, I should definitely have time to write and I'll do my best to update on time :)**

**See ya then!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys for all your support of this fanfic! Also thanks for all the school encouragement. I'm doing pretty well in my studies, but it's still appreciated!**

**Shishi- I was hoping someone would notice that pun XD Well, your reviews make me smile to read too so we're even lol**

**Kurenai0111- Thanks, it's always nice to hear someone enjoys reading my story so much! Nice questions too ;)**

* * *

Yukine hobbled out the alleyway and crossed the empty street. His hip and ribs protested with each step, but he didn't want to stick around now that Nora had showed up. How the girl had found him, he wasn't sure, but he suspected the ayakashi inside him had something to do with it -could it somehow talk to Father?

His leg suddenly trembled and Yukine fell over slightly so his hands slammed onto the ledge of a nearby fountain. As he pushed himself up, his gaze landed on the frozen water resting at the bottom of the fountain and his reflection stared back at him. The blight covered over half his face and the fangs -of course it was his canines that turned into fangs- stuck out his mouth despite his mouth being closed. If only he could forgot the last couple of hours, he could pretend he'd simply dressed up for Halloween early.

He shifted so he could sit on the ledge of the fountain and placed his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do know? There was no place for him to go. He had no home and no friends, for all his bridges had been burned.

His wolf ears twitched, and he looked up just in time to see Yato hurtling towards him while calling his name. He gasped because his master was getting far too close and already the ayakashi inside had awoken. Jumping to his feet and ignoring how this move jarred his bruised ribs, Yukine stumbled into an awkward run, but Yato caught his sleeve and he fell to his knees.

_Smell nice, smell nice! _He clamped his mouth shut and denied the ayakashi's goal to take a bite out of Yato, but he needed to warn his master!

Yet his desperation crumpled apart as he took in Yato's face and this was far worse than incurring his master's wrath. That horror, the _terror_ carved into his master's face was simply too much to bear. He was a failure, unfit to protect his god when he was the monster his master had to watch out for.

He retook his arm and ran, but it hurt so much when Yato let him slip away and didn't even bother calling him back. Yato had learned the terrible truth and he couldn't blame the god. Not when he was a hideous monster who was unfit to serve even the lowliest of gods.

Yukine's feet splashed in a puddle of sludge as he jetted under a tunnel below a small bridge, however, the slick mud made him skid. Unbalanced, the shinki waved his arms in wide circles, but still he fell onto his hands. He hissed from the pain of impact, his hands had been through a lot tonight, but cried out when a person grabbed his bruised, blighted hand and lugged him to his feet.

"You poor thing." Father gazed down at Yukine's startled face, but the shinki quickly shook off the shock.

"Let go!" He snatched his hand back and held the throbbing appendage close to his chest. Yet the ayakashi didn't like that and a wave of anger -_respect master!_\- burned his insides, which caused him to stagger back into the curved wall of the tunnel. Father's face twisted into a smug smile -did he realize what the ayakashi had done?- and he bared his teeth in response, but they both knew Yukine was afraid of him and of what he'd done to the shinki. It didn't help that his stupid tail was wagging and he sensed the pleasure of the ayakashi inside him upon seeing its master -but Father was _not_ Yukine's master!

"You said, 'let go', and I did." The man raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to Yukine while the teen pressed himself flat against the wall. "But are you so sure you want me to leave?" He made a show of staring at Yukine's animated tail and though he scowled, he also blushed. "If so, why are you still here? Why haven't you run off yet?" He stopped in front of the shinki, but Yukine was rooted to the spot. The desire to run was strong, but the ayakashi's will was fighting his own. Worst of all, the ayakashi was winning.

He could only flinch when Father's fingertips lightly touched what little healthy skin he had remaining on his face. The man was invading his personal space and he was willing to do anything to get away, bite and maim him if he had to, but the one time Yukine gave in to the ayakashi's aggressiveness and of course it didn't agree with him.

"Yaboku would be safer if you came with me." Father's brows pulled together in feigned pity. "I am the _only_ one you can't hurt now, the only one safe being near you." Yukine's heart beat hard and heavy in his chest because the man was right. No one was safe with him anymore. Not Hiyori, Kofuku, Daikoku, no one, and he could never risk going near them again. He really wasn't going home tonight, was he?

"Yato." He croaked as tears blurred his vision. His poor god was going to lose the only shinki he had, his sole protection, all because Yukine could no longer control himself.

"Come on, Yukine," Father pulled away and he instantly longed for those warm fingers to touch his face again because it was the only affection he had received without him wanting to eat the giver of kindness. "I'm not saying you'll have to serve me forever, but after you help me with one thing, I promise to take you back to your master." He offered his hand for Yukine to take and his blighted fingers twitched, hope took root in his heart, and he wondered if he should give in.

The ayakashi certainly wanted to serve Father, his tail was wagging ridiculously fast, and he could hear _obey, obey, want to obey_, but was serving Father what _he_ wanted? No, certainly not. Yato hadn't told him much about Father, but he could tell the man had hurt his master before and not just in the physical sense. Add to that what Father did to Hiyori and her family, and Yukine despised the man more than any other enemy of Yato. However, what choice did he have? He had lost his home, his friends, and even Yato didn't want him... There was no other choice.

Father saw his crestfallen expression and reached for his hand.

"Don't you touch him!" The vicious growl echoed through the tunnel.

Yukine gasped, but Father simply smirked as they turned to see Yato standing under the entrance. His master looked furious with his hands balled at his sides and his eyes narrowed to mere silts. Terrified that his fears had come true, that Yato would really seek vengeance for Hiyori and Kofuku, Yukine shuffled back.

Yet the god marched up to Father without sparing him a glance. "I don't know what game you're playing-"

"Game?" Father crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm not trying to trick you," he gestured to Yukine, but Yato's eyes didn't waver from Father's face. "I was only helping you find your lost shinki since you're so incapable of taking care of him." The muscles in Yato's face spasmed and it was clear Father had hit a nerve, but Yukine didn't know why that sentence hurt his master so. "Now that I've found him, feel free to take him home." Father, to his complete shock, spun on his heels and strolled off into the darkness of the tunnel.

Yato blinked, but said nothing as the man wandered out of sight. Yukine held his breath until he was certain that man wasn't coming back, then hesighed in relief, but quickly regretted that when Yato's head snapped his way. Pinned by Yato's piercing stare, Yukine hesitated to run and that was why he only managed to push himself off the wall before those thin arms wrapped around his body. Yato lifted him just high enough that his sneakers could get no traction from the ground and that was why he panicked.

"Yukine-"

"No!" He tried to break free because Yato smelled nice, so nice, and the ayakashi was absolutely famished. "It will make me hurt you!" His legs flailed, but the god simply tightened his hold.

"It?" Yato calmly, too calmly, asked.

"The ayakashi Father put in me!" Yukine wailed and he so wanted to sink his teeth into Yato's succulent neck, but he could hardly budge within this backwards embrace.

The god tensed behind him and he imagined the disgust, the hate, filling his master's face because his hafuri had failed him. Surely now Yato understood that he was dangerous, that the only way to save himself...would be to...

"You have to release me." Yukine went limp in Yato's arms, ignoring the ayakashi's desire to bite and claw its way to freedom. "It's...the only..." The air was strangled out his throat and he didn't know if it was his own despair or the ayakashi that caused this, but he couldn't go on. He didn't want to be released, he wanted to go be with this god forever if he could, but he needed Yato to stay safe too.

"No, I don't."

His eyes flew open wide and he tried to twist around to see his god's expression, needed confirmation that what he had just heard was real, but Yato only shifted his hold on him without loosening in it. Then suddenly fingers combed through his blond strands, carefully avoiding the wolf ears, and Yato quietly said, "I don't have to because my kid has beat hundreds of ayakashi before so I know he can take down just one."

Yukine's body started trembling and he barely noticed the ayakashi go dormant. Yato had called him his kid, and he hadn't dared hope his master would ever claim him as such after tonight. He didn't deserve the reverence, not after what he'd done.

"But I can't stop it! I couldn't stop it from making me hurt Kofuku." He gave a shuddering sigh before whispering, "Or Hiyori." His head hung low and Yato's hand stopped it's ministration. He had expected the incoming rejection, but it still hurt.

"Those two are fine, I've already checked." Yukine jolted because Yato knew, had known what he'd done, but he still treated him this kindly?

"And the only reason you've been struggling to fight it is because you've been fighting on your own," Yato soft-spoken assurance healed something inside him, sealed the cracks in his fractured heart, and that was why he didn't run when Yato gently set him down. "And we've always fought ayakashi together." The god placed his hands on Yukine's shoulders and angled his head down so Yukine could see that tender look being directed at him. "That's why we'll fix this together too."

Yukine bit his lip, ignoring the sting when his fangs cut into the skin, and stifled his sob. Yato understood without words and smiled as he pulled the shinki to his chest and said, "Let's go home."

Yukine clung to his master and let his fears wash away as they teleported.

* * *

His kid shivered as they arrived in front of Kofuku's home. He had noticed during their embrace that the shinki was abnormally cold, but the kid had been so scared, he hadn't wanted to frighten him with sudden movements. Now that Yukine had calmed somewhat, he felt safe to rub circles on Yukine's back and warm him. It seemed to be the right move because the regalia leaned closer to him as he ushered the kid inside. Kofuku and Daikoku were not here since he had called them after Yukine ran off and suggested they rent a hotel room tonight because he didn't know what mental state his kid would be in upon finding him.

Yukine abruptly threw his hood over his head, and Yato wanted to tell him he didn't have to hide his face from him, but that would be lying. Yato hated the sight of those ears, the fangs, and especially the tail. It was too much like what happened to Hiyori. Too much like what happened to Sakura. Yato didn't trust himself to deal with this -please, not again- but he couldn't risk calling anyone here. His poor hafuri wasn't ready to see anyone just yet. Hiyori would be livid when she learned he hadn't notified her about Yukine right away, but she would understand after he explained -though he might have to endure a jungle savate prior to that.

"Yukine," he waited for the boy to meet his eyes and hated the timidity in those orange irises when there was once a fire lit within them. His kid was bold and a little cocky, but the blighted face staring at him belonged to a scared, lost child. "Let's get your blight treated first."

Yukine looked as startled as himself when the shinki leapt from to the side and a terrified expression overtook Yukine's face before the regalia simply looked confused. He put it together quick, but hoped he was wrong.

"Did the ayakashi make you do that?"

Yukine looked aside and nodded while Yato frowned. This was even worse than he thought. He had no idea his dad would go so far as to place an ayakashi inside his shinki. The concept alone was terrifying, his kid was in serious danger, and he couldn't decide whether to be enraged or freaking out over this.

He pinched the bridge of his nose -he'd settle for frustrated. "Okay, do you think it will take over if I try to cleanse your blight?"

Yukine paused and his forehead scrunched together as he considered the possibility. He couldn't begin to imagine how rough tonight had been for his regalia. The spoltches of blight were telling enough, but he also knew the kid had sought aid from friends only to have the ayakashi force him to attack them. While it was reassuring to an extent to find out his kid was not turning into an ayakashi by himself, his kid was still turning into an ayakashi and it didn't appear that a mere cleansing or an abulution could fix this.

Yukine nodded and a garbled -bark?!- came out his mouth. The teen's face flushed and he slapped his hands over his mouth before tentatively saying, "I-I meant 'yes'." He grew serious. "The ayakashi seems to be asleep, but I can't guarantee anything so you should be ready to stop me if..." Tears, big ones, suddenly sprung from the corners of Yukine's eyes and Yato rushed to shush him.

"Don't worry about it, you won't hurt me." Yukine sniffled, but he took it as a good sign that the shinki wasn't completely bawling yet -if only he could _sense_ how bad the kid felt, then he'd know for sure.

"But I already told you I can't control it." The kid implored him to listen, but he shook his head.

"And I already told you, we're fighting this ayakashi _together_ now," He smiled when surprise replaced the fear in Yukine's eyes. "And no ayakashi has ever beaten us when we're fighting together."

The kid nearly smiled at that so he pressed on. "Now let's get you cleaned up!" He grabbed the boy's hand, ignoring Yukine's warning and the sting of the blight because his kid needed the physical reassurance. Together they headed inside the kitchen and although Yukine hesitated, he pretended not to notice. He was aware how proud Yukine was over his ability to control himself and clearly his emotional foundation had been trampled over enough tonight so he would let his kid keep what dignity he had left.

He flicked on the light and like the goddess told him over the phone, there was already a bowl on the counter filled with purifying water and a wooden stool nearby. He told Yukine to sit on after he removed his shirt and jacket. The boy did so without a word and the silence spoke volumes. It said his shinki was too tired to complain, too guilty to deny Yato anything, and too drained to care about anything.

He gasped upon seeing the full extent of discoloration marring Yukine's chest, arms, and face. It was a miracle no ayakashi had formed on his back! Then again, this was an unusual blighting. Yato noticed the poor kid hunching further into himself the longer he stared so he shook himself out of his stupor and found a clean rag by the sink.

"So," He dipped his hands into the bowl to cleanse his own hands first, then soaked the rag before dabbing Yukine's face with it. "Can you tell me what happened tonight?"

* * *

Yukine spilled everything as Yato gently scrubbed at his face. He was ashamed to admit how easily he was tricked by Nora and Father. He was also purposely vague when describing what he had done to Hiyori and Kofuku. He even skimmed over his second encounter with Nora as he didn't want Yato to know how close he had been to renouncing his master.

"Wait," Yato paused mid-scrub of his torso and he suddenly became aware of how cold he was as the lukewarm water dripped off his chin. "Did the fangs appear before or after Nora messed with you?"

He was relieved Yato wasn't forcing him to explain exactly what Nora said, but confused by the question. Still, he thought it over, and soon said, "It was during the middle of our talk when I felt them on my face. Why?"

Yato dipped the rag back into the water and wiped his torso. He almost thought he was being ignored until Yato scowled. "I think it's Nora's fault you have those fangs." He blinked, but Yato hurried on. "I'm not sure, but it sounds like every time you felt powerful negative emotions, more of the ayakashi appeared on your body."

Yato never stopped treating his blight as he spoke yet Yukine stilled at this news. It made perfect sense. When a shinki felt as much negative emotions as he had been forced to tonight -mainly thanks to the monster inside- they not only blighted their master but they blighted themself, and an untreated blight transformed a shinki into an ayakashi. The same process was happening now, but the spread of ayakashi features was thankfully not those creepy eyeballs -not that fangs and a tail were much better. Still, this was Yukine's fault. He let Nora and Father get inside his head and didn't even try to control his feelings. What a sorry excuse for a hafuri he was, letting himself cross over into ayakashi territory without a single struggle.

Yato wiped at a particularly tender section of his skin, right above his rib cage, and he quite literally howled in pain before he snapped his jaw close -how embarrassing! He blushed when Yato merely stared at him for a second, but soon concern broke through Yato's calm.

"Are you hurt, Yukine?" Yato's gaze roved over his body. "Besides the blight?" His blue eyes sharpened when they caught sight of his hands, which Yato had yet to cleanse, and the god gently cradled them in the rag. "These look bad, I'm going to bandage them after we finish the cleansing."

Yato stared him down, and Yukine could not lie -he wouldn't sting Yato- but he looked away as he admitted, "My ribs are a little bruised."

"How?"

His directness cut into Yukine and he sorely missed his jacket's ability to conceal his face. "Well, I hurt Kofuku so Daikoku stopped me-"

"He hit you with a borderline?!"

He couldn't tell whether Yato was outraged at him or Daikoku so he guess and said, "No, it's not his fault, I-I needed someone to stop me." His voice dwindled into a ragged exhale because he was a monster. Dormant as it was now, there was an ayakashi inside him and he wasn't even sure there was a way to get rid of it. Would he have to live like this forever? No, he'd have to be locked away where he couldn't hurt anyone-

"Yukine!"

His thoughts screeched to a halt at the alarm in Yato's voice -Yato _never_ sounded so scared- and his head jerked up. However, Yato's face was obscured by a circular object -what was in the way?- and he could only make out half of Yato's expression. He raised his hands to touch the oval object obscuring his vision, but Yato caught his wrists rougher than he likely intended.

"Yato," he cocked his head to the side, but Yato didn't answer and his heart pounded faster. "Yato, what is it?"

His master blinked back into awareness and his alarmed expression was carefully tucked behind a cool mask, but Yato's grip had yet to lessen and his face was pinched. "Don't...don't worry about it." The god let him go and stretched to his full height. "Just dry yourself off," he started leaving the room with a far off look in his eyes. "And don't touch that thing on your face." He called back before fleeing from Yukine's sight and leaving him worried, cold, and missing his master's reassuring presence.

* * *

Yato punched in the callback number on his phone and his foot beat against the floorboards as he waited. Seconds passed and he wanted very badly to hit something, but this was Kofuku and Daikoku's home and it would be very rude to leave a hole in the wall -especially since he couldn't afford to pay for the repair job.

After another ring, the call went to voicemail and he nearly crushed the phone in his hand, but that was expensive too. "Pick up already." He growled through bared teeth while a vein on his temple throbbed. Of course his dad was willing to call him if it meant taunting Yato about being an inadequate caretaker for Yukine, but now that Yato _needed_ to speak with him, all he got was voicemail.

He tried calling a second, third, and fourth time, and when his attempts proved unfruitful he slammed his fist on the wall and the table nearby shook. His father was toying with him and that would be fine if it was _only_ him he was toying with, but Father had dragged Yukine into this. Stuffed an ayakashi into _his_ kid's body and not only did Yukine exhibit the ayakashi's traits.

But his kid had a mask stuck on his head.

It was the same mask that was on all the ayakashi Father controlled prior to him gaining the locution brush. The fact it was now on Yukine could only mean Father sought to control _his_ hafuri, and while he knew Father had an unhealthy interest in Yukine's strength, he had never predicted the man would try something this deranged. He could only hope the mask was merely an _attempt_ to control his shinki -_his_ shinki, not father's, Yukine was _his_ kid- and the mask didn't actually work.

A low moan that resembled a howl resonated from upstairs and Yato swiveled to the staircase. That couldn't be Yukine, could it? Not when he had left the kid down here.

Uncertain, Yato hurried up the stairs. Light spilled into the hallway from the bathroom since the door was only partially closed and he cautiously stepped forward because there was a mirror in there and if Yukine saw his reflection...

He opened the door and found the regalia sitting against the wall with a damp towel over his head. How he yearned to be able to sense the kid's emotions again, as he would have sensed the kid's emotional deterioration before it got to this bad.

"There weren't any towels in the kitchen." Yukine's voice was toneless in a manner Yato found eerie when it was so clear his kid was not okay.

He crouched down, determined to salvage what he could from the emotional damage, and placed his hand on Yukine's shoulder, but the boy jerked out of reach.

"Don't!" Yukine scooted away and wrapped his arms around himself. "He can make me do anything now!" The boy's breath hitched and he could hear his poor kid struggling to keep in the tears.

"Him? You mean my dad?" Yato sat himself beside Yukine, but did not attempt to touch the shinki again or make any moves to remove the towel resting over the boy's head. "He can't control you."

"What do you mean?!" Yukine jerked his finger at his own face. "I have a mask just like his ayakashi-"

"Then why haven't you attacked me this whole time?"

Yukine fell silent and Yato leaned a bit closer to him. "If Father could control you, he would have forced you to come with him earlier, and if he wanted you to hurt me, that would have happened already too."

Yukine didn't visibly react and Yato was so lost without his emotional connection to his regalia and he couldn't take it. He yanked the towel off Yukine's head. The regalia gasped and rushed to throw his arms over his face, but he caught his arms and forced them down. The kid stared at him, utterly miserable.

"It's okay, you're still you, Yukine." He lowered his voice to the softest decibel that would still allow the kid to hear him.

"How could you say that?" Yukine pulled back, but he wouldn't let the kid go, would never let him go. "Just look at me!" His tone deepened into something not quite human and far too close to ayakashi for him. It seemed his theory was correct, every time his kid lost control of his emotions he gained more ayakashi traits.

"It doesn't matter what you look like, you're still you inside," he saw the uncertainty in the kid's eyes so switched tactics. "Besides there's nothing wrong with how you look, it kind of reminds me of a puppy."

Yukine's mouth parted and his eyebrows drew together before the kid outright blanched. "What?!"

Yes, his distraction was working! Yato planted a toothy grin on his face. "Yeah, those little baby fangs you have with those puppy dog ears are adorable! Especially when your tail wags when you get excited."

Yukine sputtered, blinking rapidly as he turned the boy's world on its head. "It-It doesn't wag!" The indignant response finally crossed his lips and the boy glared at him.

It warmed him to the core to see that look on Yukine -stubborn suited him better than guilty- so he kept going. "If it doesn't wag, what would you call what it's doing now?" Yukine whipped back and gave him the perfect opportunity to scoop the kid into his arms.

"Hey!" Yukine skawked and squirmed in his arms as he carried the kid to their room. "Don't treat me like a little kid!"

"I can't help it when you look so cute!" He mocked, exaggeration his good humor while setting the kid on his futon and raising the covers to bundle Yukine up.

"Yato." The kid whined, but his hazel eyes shined brighter than they had all night.

He smiled down at his hafuri and ruffled his hair while avoiding the wolf ears that had violet auras around them "Get some sleep and stop worrying so much."

Yukine sobered a bit as he laid down and without meeting his eyes, said, "Only if you promise you will stay up and make sure I don't-"

"I will, but not because I think you'll go werewolf on me in the middle of the night. It's not a full moon anyway-"

"Yato." Yukine scowled, ordering him to get serious.

He sighed because the kid was right, this was very serious and he had no idea how to fix this, but he was going to save Yukine. No one got to touch his shinki, to _hurt_ his hafuri, and get away with it. Sure, Dad frightened him, this whole situation scared him, but he wasn't giving up until the very end.

He stared his hafuri straight in the eyes. "I don't know how to fix this right now, but there has to be a way to get that ayakashi out of you. Father never does anything without having a backup plan."

Round, childish eyes stared up at him before tears pooled at the corners of them and he leaned over to hold his kid as the tears spilled down his cheeks. It was going to okay, he promised it would be because Yato couldn't handle losing another shinki to Father. He had lost Nora's loyalty and lost Sakura's life to him, but no one was taking his hafuri away. Not even the Heavens themselves could break them apart.

He promised.

* * *

**Yes, I got this chapter up in two weeks! I hope to update again in the next two weeks, but I also have two essays due by the end of this month so the next chapter might be a bit late.**


	4. Chapter 4

**IMPORTANT! This is not a full chapter and ends abruptly. I'm sorry for making you all wait so long, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to this story. However, all of you deserve something for waiting, so please enjoy what little I can give for now.**

* * *

Yukine didn't want to wake up. The tender caress of the cotton sheets swaddling his curled up form and the warmth enveloping him were just such a divine combination. However, something had roused him from his deep slumber, and though he wished to ignore it, his eyes had already peeled apart.

His lamp greeted him with its golden glow, but his eyes had yet to adjust so he shut them while his hand broke free from his comforter to shield his sight. Cautiously Yukine squinted behind his hand, but his forehead furrowed at the sight of thick, white bandages taped around his palm and fingers. He sat up, blanket sliding off his shoulders, and raised his other hand to see it had been given the same treatment.

Tentatively wiggling his fingers, he was relieved they could still move freely. These many bandages seemed a bit overboard for the minor cuts he'd gotton on his hands, but his obnoxious god tended to be overzealous when it came to treating any of Yukine's injuries.

He scoffed, but smiled as he flexed his hands only to feel no pain. His master hadn't just wrapped them, he'd even applied healing ointment over his wounds. All because Yukine got the equivalent of a paper cut. Just when Yukine thought Yato had reached his maximum level of obnoxious, his master always found a way to prove him wrong.

Yukine turned aside to Yato's futon with a taunt already on his tongue, but his eyes widened at the sight of the vacant futon and his heart started beating faster than a bullet train because hadn't Yato _promised_ to watch him? Promised not to leave Yukine all _alone_?

The shinki stared unblinking at the empty futon as if Yato would suddenly appear in it -a real possibility considering Yato was a god- yet one minute later and his master still didn't show. No..._No_, Yato wouldn't just leave him. His god must...must be downstairs!

Determined to prove this to himself, Yukine pushed himself up with his blanket still draped over his shoulders. He hurried to the attic door and flung it open, only to jump at the sight of Hiyori stood in the doorway.

"Oh!" The girl took a step back with wide eyes, lowering the hand she raised to grab the doorknob.

"H-Hiyori?" Yukine's hazel eyes blinked rapidly while he took another step back and clutched at the blanket drooping at his sides. He didn't want Hiyori to be real, for the girl to actually be here because then he would hurt her. He already did _hurt_ her and what if the ayakashi woke up and he attacked her again? No, _no_, this was a nightmare! Wake up, Yukine!

"Yukine!" Hiyori grabbed his shoulders and only when her pillow soft hands pressed into his tendons did he realize he was trembling all over. "Calm down! You won't hurt me!" Her pink tail swished to and fro behind her, as agitated as the girl it belonged to, but Hiyori was wrong. Yukine was dangerous, a monster!

"It's going to come out, the ayakashi!" The boy tried to tear himself from her grasp, but her grip was rock solid while she shook her head.

"No, me and Yato talked about that." Yukine's fear screeched to a halt, and he wondered if he misheard when suddenly a smile bloomed across Hiyori's face. "Akayashi don't attack other akayashi, see?" Her tail flicked up to her side and Yukine stared at the inhuman anatomy for a long moment while his brain went into overdrive.

Hiyori had came in her ayakashi form, and the ayakashi inside him only reacted to humans, shinki, and gods. Tentative hope pricked his chest, but he checked just to make sure, and when the ayakashi within remained dormant, the fear finally unwound from around his heart.

"You're right." A smile broke out on Yukine's face and Hiyori hands left him, though she continued smiling. Yet, his eyes caught sight of a bandage peeking out behind her neck and sudden self-revulsion sliced into him like a butcher knife.

Hiyori's eyebrows drew together, watching as guilt planted itself in the pit of his stomach and sprouted throughout his body. In a soft, weak tone, Yukine said, "I-I didn't mean it. I shouldn't have gone to your house, but I needed help and you always help me. So when I saw your window open-"

Hiyori yanked him into an embrace, silencing his babble of an apology while his face fell into her shoulder. He sunk into the hug, soaking up the unspoken forgiveness he didn't deserve.

"Don't worry about it. I really am okay, and it wasn't your fault so much as Father's for doing this to you." She sighed and pulled back so he could see the serious, though kind, expression on her face. She truly didn't blame him, Yukine hadn't lost one of his dearest friends -one of his _only_ companions- after all.

"Thank you." He grinned, ignoring the slight prick when his sharp canines brushed against his lips. However, the pain reminded him that all was not well. There was a shadowed spot in his vision where a mask laid, his fangs had yet to receded, and most importantly, Yato was missing.

Yukine tensed, and noticing the change, Hiyori cocked her head while concern filled her eyes.

"You said Yato talked to you? Did he ask you to come here? Where is he?" A slight hitch in his breath made the question sound more desperate than he wanted, but he needed to know. His master hadn't left him, right? Yato was just downstairs, correct?

"Yukine," Hiyori's gentle tone failed to conceal the worry on her face and his heartbeat skyrocketed. That was the voice people used to deliver bad news, to let them down gently.

He shook his head and stepped back from her. "No," he choked, "Yato promised." Yukine's body thrummed with the sudden desire to run and run and run until his master stood before him.

"Yato?!" The call burst unbidden from his throat as he dashed around Hiyori, ignoring the girl's call, and sped down the staircase. His every step thundered upon the floor as he called his master's name over and over again in the darkness of the living room. In his fright, he hadn't thought to turn on the lights and now it was too dark to find the light switch. It was too dark to find anything. Everywhere Yukine turned led to an inky abyss, and shadows were already crawling up his hands and arms, reaching up for his throat and strangling the air from Yukine's lungs until he couldn't breathe.

Blindly Yukine threw out his hands and stumbled because his master was around here somewhere, and Yato would help him. Yato didn't break promises, not the ones he made to Yukine. _Never_.

"Yato!" The darkness tightened its hold and Yukine wheezed from the lack of air as the darkness constricted around his neck like a noose. "Yat-"

His foot struck what felt like a table leg and he started to fall with a yelp when familiar sweaty palms caught his elbows.

"Yukine?!" Yato gasped, and it was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard, but Yukine didn't get to properly appreciate it as suddenly he was airborne. The feeling of weightlessness only lasted a second before his bare feet smacked down onto carpet and the glow of a television scattered light across Yukine's face. There seemed to be a videogame playing on the screen, but he couldn't investigate as Yato got in his face.

"Yukine!" His master's eyes were wide and his expression a combination of stricken and terrified. "You're not supposed to be here!"

The shinki blinked twice, struggling to understand what was so terrible about a living room. Then he noticed the videogame characters on the screen weren't moving and making sounds like they had been a second ago. The game was paused, and there was somebody lounging on the couch in front of it.

"Well, well, what a surprise."

Yukine gasped as Yato threw his arm in front of him, gritting his teeth as he attempted to stand between Father and Yukine. Only now did Yukine realize Yato must have been teleporting right before Yukine literally ran into the god and was accidentally teleported with him.

Now Yukine was in Father's home.

And somewhere inside, the ayakashi woke up.

* * *

Yato wanted to hit himself. He was a baka, a very stupid bakagami. He thought he could visit Father while Yukine rested, get some straight answers, and return to Kofuku's place without his shinki having ever known he left. Stupid, _foolish_ Yato. He should have known being a god of fortune was not the same as having good fortune. No, Yato never did have the best of luck, did he?

Father set his chin on his hand and grinned like the cat that tortured, maimed, and _slowly_ ate the canary. "I have to admit, Yaboku. I didn't expect you to bring my ayakashi to me so soon."

Yato glowered, glaring to cover up his fear. "Yukine is not _yours_."

Father cocked an eyebrow. "Really," he peeked behind Yato, "That sure looks like one of mines," he shrugged.


End file.
